Radiohead

An Icelandic band.
They’ve been around for about 10 years now.
If I had to describe them—maybe the shortest way possible—I’d call them an electro-experimental-improv-ambient outfit or something along those lines.
Basically, nothing standard or "normal," at least by my definition.
Is it hardcore alternative? Sure. I don't know what else to call it.

Here’s some info on them:

http://www.randomsummer.com/book/
http://fat-cat.co.uk/fatcat/artistInfo.php?id=49
http://mumweb.net/

Have you guys listened to them?
What’s your take?
Let me know...

I’m trying to listen—dipping into a bit of everything from their albums—but I have to admit, I’m not really feeling it yet. Well, it's only day two and I haven't run into much else like this. Aside from, obviously, that oddball Lady Gaga.
Strange, weird, or whatever.
I wouldn't say they aren't interesting, but somehow the "vibe" just hasn't clicked for me yet.
To be fair, there are some cool instrumentals in there.
As for the band itself? They're just okay.

Same thing with the lyrics—even with my English being pretty solid, I can't make heads or tails of them.
I mean, what was the poet even trying to say?...😕

From what I gather, the international critics love them.
But looking at it on second thought, it feels like even I could probably whip up something better and more engaging on my laptop...

It makes me wonder...
is múm actually a magical band, or just more mediocre trash?

Pfft, honestly, I wouldn't go so far as to call them magical—even if they do have those certain magical moments. If you’d asked me this a while back, I probably would have insisted they were a magical band. You know, putting Radiohead and Boards of Canada aside for a moment. But lately... I don't know, I just find myself reaching for that kind of music less and less.

I find myself in agreement with Kyle Jackson54; they certainly have a handful of tracks worth listening to...
my personal favorite remains the "finally we are no one" album.

"finally we are no one" is pure magic to me! How could anyone call it anything but trash?
Sure, you can use a computer to craft mathematically perfect music, but what’s the point if there’s no alchemy involved? Not that I’m questioning your songwriting skills, though.

restlessdrifter692 said:Sure, you can sit at a workstation and engineer music that's mathematically flawless—it’s all just numbers, after all—but honestly, what's the point if there isn't any actual alchemy involved? Not that I'd dare question your songwriting chops, obviously.

The computer is really just a tool, I suppose. You can still find that bit of alchemy through a few mouse clicks, if you know where to look.

I've laid out all the facts right above.
Please just stick to them—read them over a dozen times if you really have to.

Look, I’m not some professional musician or anything, but I’ve got an ear for what works. Lately, I've been thinking about diving into computer-based composing—whatever that actually entails.
I think I’d get a kick out of it.

Besides, you have to look at the greats; they all started out the exact same way, tinkering away until they were playing on whatever weird instruments they could get their hands on.

If anyone feels like taking a crack at that album, or whatever year we're looking at, let's see what happens.

Thanks for the input.

They were such a beautiful band with stunning music videos—I just worry you all might have lost your edge lately.

I'll leave this thread to another Michael Newman50 to share some somber thoughts regarding the girls and how things fell apart, while I
simply want to remind everyone of that gorgeous video by the even more incredible graniteviper82 😍

Anyway, I’m off to watch Jojo in the Stars 😵

Kyle Jackson54 said:The computer is merely a tool. You can channel alchemy through mouse clicks just as easily.

I agree; I just didn't phrase my point quite right.
Alchemy isn't picky about its tools. 🙂

prof. dule zmaj:
"Dolphins swam all the way to Iceland, froze to death, and then Jacques Cousteau—well, I mean Jonas Jónsson—grabbed a magnetic tape recorder just to capture their final cries. It’s a fascinating experiment, sure, but let's be honest: that isn't music."

Kyle Jackson54 said:It’s got that whole vibe—you know, kind of like a mix between Radiohead and Boards of Canada.

Go screw yourself. 😱

restlessdrifter692 said:Sure, you can sit there at your computer and engineer some mathematically perfect track—everything perfectly quantized, everything hitting exactly where it should—but honestly? Who cares if the soul isn't there? You can have all the technical precision in the world, but if you don't have that certain alchemy... that magic ingredient that just makes something feel alive... then what are you even doing? It’s just math. Just numbers on a screen. Without that spark, it’s totally hollow. I guess it's just my take, but perfection on paper doesn't mean anything if it doesn't move you.

I’m gonna lose my mind if I have to deal with this—honestly, just go jump in a lake. 🙏

I mean, honestly, I can't even begin to wrap my head around how fast things just... vanished. One minute everything is there, and then—poof—it’s like it never even existed. I guess it’s just one of those things where you realize how quickly everything shifts when you aren't looking, right? Maybe I'm just overthinking it, but it feels incredibly abrupt. 😍Icelandic twin😍 So, they finally split up—one of them bailed on the band entirely, and now she’s out there playing those albums recorded in reverse, you know? She's doing that whole freak-folk, hippie vibe with that Animal Collective crowd. I guess that's just how it goes sometimes... things just fracture and everyone heads off into their own weird little subcultures. 😠

So, anyway, this year—and honestly, it’s coming up real soon too—they’re dropping a new album with another one of those ridiculous, over-the-top titles. Smear The Poison Ivy, let Your Crooked Hands be Holy

Thanks, man—I think I’m gonna head over and check out the music video right now too. 🙂

What are you even on?
Give us some actual substance here!
Rock on, America

Twins are alright, I guess.

Radiohead is a fantastic band 🙂

@itoru
I get what you're saying—there are definitely some standout moments scattered throughout these albums, but honestly? Most of it is basically unlistenable, just like you pointed out.

Let’s be clear here: my rotation is mostly alternative and rock.
I’m not some snob, though—I’m totally down to explore new sounds and whatever else is out there...

graniteviper82 said:I’m honestly surprised freaks like you are even allowed to post here.
If it were up to me, I’d ban you entirely so you could never post on this forum again.
Are these actually your coherent responses, or are you just an idiot by nature?

To be clear, I listen to alternative and rock.
I’m open to discovering new music and all that...

🙏

Mum is a good band to me, and don't go asking questions that rely purely on subjective opinion.👍

I have some rather lovely memories tied to that particular vibe—it really resonates with me. 🙂 Truly magical, at times... 😳

graniteviper82 said:Looking at it with a bit of hindsight, I feel like even I could whip up something more compelling on my PC...

🙂

By the way, just as a small side note—the term "second sight" in English actually refers to clairvoyance or predicting the future. Just showing off my linguistic prowess there... 🙂

Mark said:I don't see any issue with this thread.
I haven't even said whether the band is great or garbage yet.

Look, if nobody else can weigh in on the topic, then what's the actual problem? Stop spamming and messing around for no reason or purpose.

Who does that even benefit?
If we're going by that logic, I have much better things to do than argue with random nobodies and arrogant pretenders.

Fantastic! 👍

So, we're all just tensely waiting for your verdict, unless... of course, you don't expect anyone else to share theirs? 🙄

Come on, we're interested in your verdict 👍

And try not to be such a delinquent all the time. 🤮

Personally, I think Sigur Rós is total garbage, though maybe Mogwai is slightly less bad. It’s just boring, exhausting, way too pretentious, and completely lacks any kind of soul or wit.

hollowseal33 said:for instance, my take is that Roger Ross is absolute garbage...

you are a malicious individual devoid of any empathy🙂

an entirely objective conclusion😬

hollowseal33 said:Personally, I feel like Roger Ross is absolute garbage—though maybe Mum is just slightly less terrible. Honestly, it's all just boring, exhausting, and incredibly pretentious... it completely lacks any sense of soul or wit.

finally! 🙏

hollowseal33 said:Personally, I think Sigur Ros is total garbage, though maybe múm is slightly less terrible. It's just boring, exhausting, way too pretentious, and honestly lacks any kind of soul—just completely lifeless.

Oof... hey there, tiger.